It's time to say no, to artificially sweetened and colored sodas full of sugar and additives.  You can make delicious, spicy ginger ale at home with nothing more than a couple of ingredients and a little bit of time. 

Ingredients: 

Up to 6 inches ginger root

2 lemons

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 quarts water

1/2 cup ginger bug

 

To start with,  you need to make a ginger bug. Here is the link to my recipe: 

Homemade Ginger Bug

Then, shred up to 6 inches of ginger into a large pan. I always use the full amount, but this makes a strong, warming drink. You can use less ginger if you wish. 

Add 1 1/2 cups sugar to the pan, and 2 quarts of water. 

Bring to a boil for 15 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and add 2 more quarts of cold water. 

Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add 1/2 cup of the ginger bug to this cooled mixture.

Squeeze 2 lemons and add the juice to the cooled mixture.

Strain if desired (I never do), and pour into bottles.

Cap tightly and place on counter for 2 days, or until the bottles become tight with natural carbonation. 

Chill completely and then drink. 

NOTES: 

I usually *burp* my soda after one day, and allow it to become carbonated for another day before chilling.  you may take more or less time, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. 

 

This soda can be strained just at serving, or you can drink it with the little bits of ginger included as we do. Everyone from the parents down to the youngest member of the house just loves this recipe.

it's very lightly sweetened, and very spicy. It makes you warm from head to toe, and I would bet it helps us ward off the cold during the icy winter months. 

To try something a little different, try making vanilla soda the same way except use fresh vanilla beans instead of the 6 inch piece of ginger in the pan. 

Remember to add more water/sugar to the ginger bug and replace the breathable top so you can continue to make fermented sodas.